“I think you can be a #SchickMagnet by shaving off this little thing you’ve got going on here,” said the Guess model as she tenderly gestured towards the area below her bottom lip while staring directly at my soul patch — with all the charm of a “you’ve got salad in your teeth, you dolt” notification on a first date. Except that she wasn’t referring to a misplaced leafy green but a conscious decision — that I had intentionally groomed for years.

San Diego Chargers QB Philip Rivers Can’t Grow A Beard – But Does He Manscape?

In certain circles, you are not considered a man if you can’t grow a beard. Which is particularly troubling if you’re a man who can’t grow a beard.

This past weekend at a cookout, a 7-year-old I had never met came up to me, with no provocation, and said, “if you can’t grow a beard, you’re not a man.” This kid had no idea that earlier in the day, I spoke to San Diego Chargers quarterback Phillip Rivers about the exact topic of being unable to grow a beard. Read more →

In my 30ish years on earth, I had never been exposed to action sports. So, I went on assignment for AskMen to the 2016 X Games in Austin, Texas and interviewed 16 different athletes and executives and asked them all the same question – why do people care?

“Self-made man.” A seductive moniker that’s generally used to assert some level of mastery of the physical, of one’s destiny.

And whenever seduction is present, temptation is inherent. The temptation to apply the term liberally, when it isn’t appropriate. Because, who’s to know?

Using that term frivolously is something a man who made the trek would never do. There’s a vibration, a weight, to an accomplishment that significant.

By all measures, John Paul DeJoria, the man behind mega-brands John Paul Mitchell Systems and Patron Tequila, is a self-made man. And though he would never say it, and would probably refrain from ever using the term to describe himself, he is perhaps the ultimate self-made man.

“Growing up in Echo Park, California, downtown L.A., at the age of two years old my dad left us – he was a deadbeat dad,” DeJoria told me. “So it’s just my mother, my brother, and I growing up. It was hard times. My mother ran into some medical issues where she couldn’t work. So, we ended up in a foster home in East L.A. from Monday through Friday. And we did that until I was about nine-years-old. We were with my mom on the weekends and there during the week.” Read more →

This offseason, two-time Pro Bowl running back Matt Forte signed a three-year $12-million-dollar free agent contract with the New York Jets. Bears fans were, and still are, upset about it.

And why wouldn’t they be?

After eight years in Chicago, Forte ranks second, behind only Hall of Famer Walter Payton, on the Bears’ all-time lists for rushing yards, yards from scrimmage (12,718), receptions (487) and 100-yard games (24). He’s also third in total touchdowns and sixth in receiving yards (4,116).

This offseason, the Bears front office didn’t even attempt to re-sign the second most productive player in the history of the franchise.

Since when did running a sub 4.4 40-yard dash guarantee NFL success? It never has and until game outcomes are decided by a straight-line footrace, it never will. The NFL became enamored with speed at the wide receiver position thanks to “Bullet” Bob Hayes.

But for every successful Hayes, an Olympic sprinter turned receiver, there are several draft busts whose perceived talents were overblown thanks to a single, largely meaningless metric. Players like Johnny “Lam” Jones. Troy Williamson. Darius Heyward-Bey.

Why is such a premium placed on speed when it has no direct correlation to production? 40-yard dash time isn’t the catch-all of draft metrics for a wide receiver. So, why do people act like it is?

Two-and-a-half years ago, Ezekiel Elliott arrived on the campus of Ohio State. And no one knew who he was.

And why would they?

Starting running back Carlos Hyde was coming off a junior season that saw him rush for 17 touchdowns and garner second-team All-Big 10 honors. Quarterback Braxton Miller finished 5th in the Heisman Trophy voting. Linebacker Ryan Shazier led the conference in tackles for loss and was second in total tackles.

The Buckeyes finished the 2012 season with an undefeated 12-0 record, but only ranked third in the AP Poll because of no playoff system.

“Coming in as a freshman and competing against all those future NFL guys, very good players like Ryan Shazier (Pittsburgh Steelers) and Carlos Hyde (San Francisco 49ers), it definitely pulls the best out of you,” said Elliott about his first year at Ohio State.

Elliott wasn’t the only freshman trying to figure out his place on the team. Defensive end Joey Bosa and linebacker Darron Lee were in the same exact spot.

“As freshmen, myself, Joey and Darron, we were roommates – we literally lived together, spent every day together. From when we arrived on campus not even two-and-a-half years ago, to see how we’ve all evolved as people in those couple years…how it all came together is really special, honestly. It’s giving me chills thinking about it right now. The hair on my arms is standing up.” Read more →